Domaine Stephane Ogier Cote-Rotie "Mon Village" 2018

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski, mai 2021) : 92/100. Blended from seven lieux-dits (Coteaux de Bassenon, Le Goutay, L’Arselie, Besset, Gerine, Bourrier and Montlis) and aged in 20% new oak, the 2018 Cote Rotie Mon Village combines intriguing hints of olives, red raspberries and floral-stemmy notes on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky and supple on the palate, with a lingering, mocha-tinged finish. It's approachable now, yet has the substance to age gracefully for at least a decade. Drink date 2021-2030.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski, déc. 2019) : 91-93/100. Tasted from an assemblage of six lieux-dits in tank, the 2018 Cote Rotie Village boasts attractive aromas of peppery herbs, raspberries and cherries. Medium to full-bodied in the mouth, it's plush and easy to drink already, with notions of silk and olive on the finish. Best of all, it's fun to drink. Drink date 2020-2030.

My visit to Domaine Stéphane Ogier occurred the week before many of the 2017s were to be bottled, giving a good view of the wines before they went through the trauma of bottling and (potentially) shut down. It's a vintage that Ogier likes. "We can feel it's a warm year like 2009, but we don't have the powerful tannins like in 2015. Seventeen was more balanced in terms of weather.… It's in the style of 2016 but more charming, more finesse, with a step up in terms of density and intensity over '16." As Ogier owns numerous parcels across the entire slope of Côte Rôtie, barrel-tasting here is challenging but fun and instructive, with Ogier bouncing from barrel to barrel, climbing high into the stacks to pull various samples from his different lieux-dits. The oak seems toned down in recent years, or perhaps the fruit is more assertive. "We could say God is with us the last four years," said Ogier.